>> walking around...With my little rain cloud // Hanging over my head;; && it ain't coming down !! Where do I go ?? Gimme some sort of sign // You hit me with lightning !! Maybe I'll
come a l i v e << tori. 24. dancer. I'd rather mess it all up before Crumbling under the bore...
━♡ guess the TWENTY FOUR YEAR OLD AUGUST baby just arrived to dallyeog! it makes sense, because VICTORIA “TORI” CARTER is just as SULTRY as the month of AUGUST. wait, why do they remind me of ZENDAYA COLEMAN? beyond that, they seemed MAGNETIC & ADVENTUROUS upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of OBSESSIVE & IMPULSIVE though. i hope they get acquainted here in COMPLEX #3 / APARTMENT #4 / FLOOR #3 ; SHE seems to have a lot going on with HER job as DANCER.
LINKS: about / visage / muse / inbox
BIO
tw; cheating, power dynamics in rships
she’s a leo, that’s it, that’s the bio
desperate for love and attention always, can’t get enough of it
blame it on being a surprise baby for parents who were older and had made peace with never having children
they were both professors in manhattan -- her father taught mathematics at columbia and her mother a general surgeon with nyu’s teaching hospital
they had hoped their child would be similarly studios and academia inclined
ofc tori turned out to be a wild child
very bright and deeply intelligent....if she managed to do her homework
her parents put her in ballet by the time she reached middle school in the hopes that it would become a hobby that would teach her discipline and focus
but those are two words tori has never known, instead ballet unlocked a passion she hadn’t known existed
she doesn’t feel so empty and wanting when she’s on a stage
her parents refuse to fund her joining an academy after college unless she also takes college classes
she never does well in them, ballet is her focus (though she’ll take classes for contemporary and hip hop for fun and indulges a bit much in partying shhh), but scrapes by with enough passing grades to graduate from nyu with a degree in communications at 21
but tori is far more excited to be joining the corps of the new york ballet
it’s competitive, and hurtful, but she feels much better with spotlights and stage makeup than she ever has in an office setting
tori falls hard for the things she loves but it was the principal male lead who’d noticed her first
she’d preened under his attention, believed him when he told her how beautifully she danced, felt important when she felt the weight of his gaze
the affair is carried out in secret in practice rooms after the cleaners have left, in costume closets right before his solos, in club bathrooms during afterparties
he’d mentioned a partner before, but it’s not until he’s announcing his engagement that tori realizes he never broke up with his girlfriend
tori throws up in the locker rooms when she realizes she’s the other woman
all of a sudden, she’s being cold shouldered -- which she could have handled -- until it bleeds into work, she gets pushed to the back, auditions for solos no longer taken seriously
it’s mortifying and shameful and since her parents have never been particularly supportive of these dreams, tori decides to run
the choreographer from her hip hop studio can tell she needs something new and different from anything she’s ever known
he’s got collab work with some international entertainment industries, offers her a place as a background dancer in his company
and that’s how she ends up in seoul at 24
it’s bright, the food is yummy, and she’s still dancing even if it’s not what she’d imagined for herself
so that’s tori, the disgraced ex-ballerina but forever bad girl (cue mia)
CONNECTIONS
language tutor -- pls help her order good food and drink, she’s desperate
hook up -- tori’s messy enough to have hooked up with someone the night she arrived and assume she’d never see them again....except they live in dall yeog fuck
neighbors -- is it annoying how often she knocks to borrow coffee? or that she accidentally killed your plant when you asked her to water it while on a trip? she’s so sorry she’s not good at this stuff, but she’s TRYING
colleagues -- could potentially work with anyone somewhat related to entertainment industries
clubbers -- she loves a good party and she loves to dance, the best person to go out with
whatever else we come up with!
PLOT
tumblr im: @torifm
discord: pashmina#9845
feel free to like/comment and i’ll come bug you for plots!
♡ _ well that was embarrassing but nobody saw your blunder was the first thought in eloise’s mind. she was almost at the first floor with no incidents or accidents then she had tripped, on the stairs, five steps away from the ground. no she wouldn’t cry - even if she wanted to more than anything. it had hurt, and her day didn’t look like it was going to get any better. an hour, that’s how long the universe had decided to mess with her day and make a complete fool out of her. 7:40am should not be the time of the day she was falling down the stairs, in fact, she didn’t know why she took the stairs in the first place. it’s not like the elevator would be cramped. and it’s not like she could lay there, in the middle of the floor, blocking everyone else, willowing in her self pity of a simple mistake.
until she heard a voice, her mortification drowning it out - not a good thing, korean wasn’t her primary language and barely paying attention while being spoken to lead to a mess. “i’m sorry could you repeat that?” eloise had asked them. yeah maybe now was the perfect time to get off the floor.
though she had the attitude of a party queen, but the schedule of a morning lark. in new york rehearsals started at eight am, and she preferred to warm up for at least an hour, which meant leaving her studio apartment for a morning run six fifteen. leaving at seven felt indulgent, and she enjoyed the view of the river as the son rose.
she’d had her air pods in, so she didn’t hear the girl fall, only saw a heap of limbs and gorgeous blonde locks -- poor thing. “ oh my gosh, are you okay? ” she exclaims as she approaches, repeating her sentiment as she kneels. “ you good? what day is it? do you know where you are? ”
Soojin blushed at the cutie but nodded. “A-Alright” she told the other not sure of what to say. “N-No. I-I like m-more f-friends a-around than a p-party and s-shows”.
tori nods, though she’s always preferred the loud music to avoid any meaningful conversation. “ that’s fair. well, at least you’ll have one friend there, yeah? ” tori offers, referring to herself. “ we can save each other from awkward conversations. ”
🌸 IF POPPY WAS BEING COMPLETELY HONEST, tori was one of the prettiest girls she’d ever seen in her entire life. that wasn’t even an exaggeration, either. the girl standing across from her was some mythic being, while poppy was just a girl. heh. of all the people in the city of seoul, the fact that tori wanted to go out clubbing with her was something that she considered a high compliment. “you can never be too fancy – especially not at a club. we’re there to be seen, right? – and, wow … it’s unfair how pretty you look. you’re honestly glowing!” poppy might have been laughing, but she meant every word. “besides, if anyone says something to you, let me know and i’ll … um, find someone tougher than i am to beat them up.” very affirming, pop. she thought to herself. “no matter what happens, tonight is going to be amazing, okay?”
tori soaked up poppy’s compliments delightedly, a sunflower basking in the sunlight of her affections. perhaps she was too indulgent of the other’s sweetness, gained more from their friendship than poppy did -- but she couldn’t help it, enjoying the unconditional kindness deeply. “ you’re so cute poppy, you know that? you literally deserve the world, ” the dancer claimed, confident that anyone who loved this freely only deserved the best. “ tonight will be amazing, and if anything happens....yeah we’ll just find someone who can handle that. but more importantly -- what are you going to wear? ”
“ sweatpants ? ” cheeks inflate with a gasp of disbelief , eyes widening as if her confession was groundbreaking . “ i can’t remember the last time i wore sweatpants outside . ” words muttered as iseul takes the time to think , though realization she was asking for advice pulls him back to reality . “ you look great . where are you going , exactly ? ”
“ okay, miranda priestly -- keep it civil, ” tori quips. her smile is light and easy, belying the teasing tone of her voice. “ we were exhausted after shows and just wanted to drink, mainly. ” she shifts her weight a pose, pulling her best ‘ model ’ face. “ ah, let’s see -- one launch party, two club show afterparties. and maybe a birthday party. i’m on a budget, so i’ll need something versatile. ”
quickly, her notepad disappeared into her bag once more, fuyuko clearing her throat. she wasn’t expecting the other to approach, even less in this friendly fashion. if anything, she was expecting some sort of rude questioning, after all, she had been following her around. with big eyes, she stared back up at the other, lips apart – not really sure what to say. “ oh, uhm… ”, she started speaking, sheepishly. “ hi victoria! “, every time she found herself in conversation with another foreigner, she always wanted to leave a good impression, trying to to be as polite as possible; even if she had been thrown off in this case.
“ it’s okay, after all, we don’t have to know everyone, am i right? “, fuyuko said jokingly, nodding her head. “ i live in complex four, how about you? “, she asked casually, even though she already knew the answer to the question. “ ah, my brain… i’m fuyuko, by the way. “, she quickly introduced herself with a polite bow of her head, showing victoria a beaming smile. “ i would ask what you are up to, but i think we might have met before. “
god, she was adorable. just the slightest bit flustered it seemed, but that wasn’t unusual around tori -- she knew the effect she could have on people. it didn’t help that she’d encourage it in that playful way that both cultivated affection and drew a distinct line. something about the way she spoke seemed to reveal a certain emptiness in her, a certain adriftness.
“ i’m in three! er, obviously, ” she laughs, gesturing generally around the building. it was always hard to let someone down and -- fuyuko was it? -- seemed particularly nice, friendly. “ you living in the neighborhood would definitely explain why i’ve seen you around, ” she offers generously, allowing the other an excuse for their attentions. “ i’m still a little new to the area -- it’s been...five? months? so i don’t think i’ve actually met everyone yet. have you been here long? ”
peyton was aware of his tendency to speak without thinking, but this time he had been so genuinely caught off guard that he couldn’t tell if he had actually said her name out loud or not. the question answers itself when tori turns around and peyton has to tighten the grip on his drink to keep from fully dropping it on the sidewalk. it’s not everyday you run into an ex-girlfriend from the other side of the world on your way home after a quick coffee run. not to mention, it looked like she was moving in? …to dallyeog?
holy fucking shit, is all the male can manage to think for the next few moments, though did she get hotter? runs through his mind once or twice like a confusing math equation too. peyton’s legs also seem to move without thinking and soon he was directly in front of tori, the rest of his coffee already tossed into a nearby trashcan before he even reaches her.
“hey,” he says brightly as he lifts a large box from her arms with ease. “need some help?” he doesn’t stop to question his actions, instead somehow managing to keep his cool despite the fact that his brain was close to short circuiting. peyton knew he had his fair share of broken hearts over the years, probably a few ex-flings that never wanted to see him again — while things with tori had been different, he still felt bad at the way things between them had ended.
but that was in the past and they were adults. fuck being awkward, right? their last few interactions hadn’t been the most pleasant after peyton dropped the ball that he was leaving the country, so he could only pray tori wasn’t still holding a grudge. he was at least in his right mind to save any and all flirting until after he knew he wouldn’t be pushed into oncoming traffic.
“long time no see.”
tori’s always loved things better than she’s loved people -- it’s much less pressure when the only person she could disappoint is herself. though her tongue tastes bitterer than usual, the flared burn of disappointment coalescing into the weightier discomfort of regret. beautiful though seoul is, a commercial dance crew was not the future she’d envisioned for herself.
but she’s here now, and an unfamiliar place with new faces and an opportunity to be known for herself not anyone else. struggling under the weight of the furniture she’d had to carry up the flight of stairs to her apartment is much better than struggling under the judgement of her peers in new york. she’s down to the last four boxes, squatting low to lift one, using her strength from her legs far more from than her arms.
the voice that calls her name startles her with its familiarity, and she glances over her shoulder with widening eyes. peyton. the corners of her lips automatically lift upwards -- despite how they’d broken up, she had more fond memories of him than not. they may not have been perfect, but she had cared for him deeply ( might have considered it love if she hadn’t experienced a more dangerous and destructive passion soon after. )
“ hey yourself, hot stuff, ” tori offers, the tone of her voice balancing somewhere between so deliriously happy she was considering dropping her box and wrapping her arms around a person who’d once felt like home and dubiously polite, creating distance with the same easy flirtation she used as a shield with nearly everyone she met. “ fancy bumping into you here -- you following me or something? we’ve always known my ass is a better view than yours. ”
“N-No” Soojin replied to the older girl. “Y-You l-look p-pretty, don’t w-worry” Soojin said giving her a reassuring smile. Though in Soojin’s opinion the flower was unecessary but she wasn’t going to say anything to ruin the girl’s mood.
tori adjusts her hair and eyes her reflection before meeting soojin’s gaze. “ thanks cutie -- just wait til i get some makeup on and find a matching pair of shoes, ” she replies with a broad grin. “ i’m kind of excited, i’ve never been to such a big launch party before, have you? ”
( 1:28:34 ) do you.. know what time it is?
( 1:28:48 ) i know i’m a nerd but i didn’t think i was that nerdy
( 1:30:03 ) i’m in my apartment so i’ll be right over. 5 mins
tori ✨ : ur an angel 😇😇😇
tori ✨ : i should put on pants
it’s not like she’s incompetent or that it was absolutely necessary for tori to be watching tiktok compilations when she had an early rehearsal the next day, but she was too wired to sleep. this is why she never drank coffee after 4 pm. threadbare, oversized sweatpants drag against the floor when she hears a knock against her door. “ ohmygosh, thank you -- you’re literally the best. i swear i tried to do what you showed me last time, but my router just hates me, ” she greets, falling into conversation easily. amiable smile slants into something more mischeivous as she continues. “ or maybe she just needs a gentler touch. ”
fuyuko had been slightly annoyed. this entire job seemed like a waste of her time. was her new neighbor really pretty? yes. was she interesting? seemed so. was she able to compromise this korean company’s integrity? fuyuko doubted it. she didn’t doubt that one of the most important managers would gladly hook up with her, but that was about it. with heavy sighs she had been following the other around, not even paying much attention to if she was being lowkey about it or not. she already knew the outcome of this and it would be absolutely useless. but money was money, so she filled hours of her day just waltzing behind the foreign woman.
finally it seemed like the other made her way back into the apartment buildings, fuyuko scratching the side of her head as she hurried inside as well, letting herself sink into one of the old couches placed in the lobby, eyes never leaving the other. “ waste of my time… “, she mumbled to herself, quickly taking out her notepad, tapping her pencil against it. she was about to write down something of the lines of ‘ has absolutely no clue what is going on ‘, but finally decided against it, the footsteps coming closer were being ignored.
tori’s not bragging so much as stating fact when she says she’s had her fair share of romantic interest. that is, once she’d grown out of the gawky teenager she’d been and into the lithe young woman who now strode the streets. it was frankly a little inevitable as a dancer as well -- a few of the ballet company’s patrons had sent her flowers on various occasions. all this to say: tori was familiar with having an admirer.
“ hey! ” she greets cheerily. tori had seen the older woman every so often, but had never taken the opportunity to meet her. she knew she’d recognized her when she’d stopped at the convenience store. and by the cafe. and when she’d just now stopped to check her mail. “ i didn’t think you were in this building, ” tori continues, doing her very best not to reveal how obvious the other woman’s attentions were. to be fair, tori had always considered herself rather crush-worthy. “ i’m victoria, by the way. should have introduced myself before. ”
Hyun shook his head at her words, as he stared at her and her outfit. “You look very pretty…” He spoke, honesty dripping on his words before adding “though the red flower might be too much, if I’m honest..” The stuntman said while passing a hand through his hair, chuckling at her words. “We don’t have a better fashion, Tori”
“ well you do have excellent taste if you’re calling me pretty, ” tori replies slyly, “ so i’ll take your word on the flower too. ” delicate fingers pluck the stem from her ear as she barely leans up to tuck it behind his. “ there. now you look very pretty too. ” her smile is guileless and she turns once more to appreciate the outfit in the mirror. “ eye of the beholder, hyun. i feel like i’ve had to bring my a game constantly. or maybe it’s just the dance crew -- they’ve just got too much swag. ”
“ ...so? what do you think -- too fancy for a club night? everyone’s fashion here is so much better than what we did in manhattan. we used to go to nightclubs in sweatpants. ”
